1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic communication system and an method of electronic communication, and more particularly to an electronic communication system and a method allowing communication of the electronic communication system to be performed in an open environment such that a server of the electronic communication system can authenticate a user that has no account with the server and may allow the user to perform operations with the server, users having accounts with different servers of the electronic communication system in different communication networks may authenticate each other and then communicate across different application systems, and an inviter may invite an invitee to access the inviter's resources saved on a server of the electronic communication system that the invitee has no account with but the invitee's identity can be authenticated by the server of the electronic communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, only users having accounts with a server may utilize services provided by the server. Users having no account with the server cannot utilize services provided by the server.
For example, a user having an account with a school or public library may utilize the resources of the school library or public library. But if the user has no account with a second school or public library, the user cannot utilize the resources of the second school or public library because the user's identity cannot be authenticated by the second school or public library.
Likewise, communication between two users needs to have accounts in the same conventional electronic communication system so that the identities of users can be verified by servers in the conventional electronic communication system before the users make connection for communication. Therefore, electronic message communication can only be performed in a closed environment constituted by such conventional electronic communication system. Taking instant messaging systems as an example, only users having accounts in the same instant messaging system can communicate with each other, and users having accounts in different instant messaging systems are unable to communicate. One fundamental issue that prevents users of different electronic communication systems from communicating with each other is authentication of the users' identities across different electronic communication systems.
Speaking of users, an inviter can invite an invitee to access some resources available to the inviter on a server. If the invitee has no account with the server, currently one typical way is to provide a hyperlink with an access code to the invitee via e-mail. Clicking the hyperlink, the invitee may make connection to the server and access the inviter's resources. However, such a hyperlink could be peeped or intercepted by others. Another way for the invitee to access the inviter's resources is to set up an account with the same server if not yet. Therefore, both the inviter and the invitee need to have accounts with the server and communicate in a close environment.